25 September, 2012

The VO Campeur frames are finally here. It's taken a lot to make these, including almost a year of testing. We rode the campeur with front loads, with rear loads, with mixed loads, and with no load. We tried four different forks to get the best possible handling.

The Campeur, as the name suggests, is a touring bike for paved, or unpaved, roads. It can carry a substantial load for long unsupported trips, yet handles beautifully even with no load. In fact, it makes a nice gravel racer.

Awesome! Can you speak a bit to how it compares to your other bikes in terms of fit and handling? Where does it fit in the lineup? It may not be appropriate to compare it with other brands, but I'd certainly be interested in how it compares with the usual suspects, in your mind at least.

I'm 6' tall, with very long legs and short torso (my seat is usually at least as high if not higher than for people in the 6'2"-6'3" range), and I like to get the bars decently high and back so I'm not in a super racey position. Think this would be a good match? Thanks!

That is one lovely headbadge! Actually the entire frame is gorgeous. Looks like it would be the perfect option for those considering a Long Haul Trucker who might prefer something with a more "classic" appearance. Plus, if it rides nicely without a load then it's already got a leg up on my LHT.

This looks just like my '84 Fuji Touring Series IV, the three bottle cages, the braze ons for cantilever brakes, the geometry looks similar, fork rake. But the Fuji has one more braze on, on the left chain stay to hold two extra spokes.

A minor critique of an otherwise beautiful and functional frame: the "campeur" decal looks really out-of-place, and stylistically is at odds with the downtube logo and headbadge. These three elements together are distracting; they make things a bit busy.

I would sincerely appreciate hearing why there are so few options for people who ride 63-65 cm frames. Ideally someone would address both the dearth of such large-ish frames in the new frame/ complete bike market AND why VO is not offering one in this new and awesome looking frame.

People say try the LHT. I don't want a Long Haul Trucker, for a variety of (to me) good reasons. I do however really want to try this low trail geometry you guys do such a great job marketing.

The problem with tall and short frames is that we can't seem to sell them. Those are the sizes that are always left over. And the factory won't accept an order for only 5 or 10 frames of a particular size. But if these frames sell fast we'll get a 63cm on the next production run.

Thanks for your response. As for large sizes not selling, I'm sure you've thought of this, but what about taking pre-orders for certain sizes? I know I would be keenly interested in a 63/64/65cm frame and would select based on the planned top tube length...At this point you have an excellent reputation for getting your particular kind of frame just right. Awesome. So, if you would do pre-orders on 63/64/65cm frames with your mythical next generation "Pass Hunter" road frame, I would sign up in a second. Soma and Surly and BD are the only people I know who do these larger sizes in a "production" frame. Surely there's a more diverse market out there, and it's just a question of harnessing it economically?